Singer Tony Bennett calls for legalizing drugs

[MadHound]

6. Actually it is a very smart move.

First, by legalizing drugs you will get rid of the secondary crime wave that is sweeping our country due to the black market drug trade. People wouldn't be murdered, robbed, shot, all by addicts looking to get money, protect their trade, etc. Our neighborhoods wouldn't be shooting galleries where gangsters rule by terror. Children could play outside again without fear of the drive by.

Second, by legalizing drugs you would allow addicts to get clean drugs instead of the witch's brew of battery acid, sulfur, and who knows what else that are in street drugs. Thus, the health of the addicts would improve somewhat.

Third, by removing this as a law enforcement issue, you will make it a health issue. Thus, more people will be able to get treatment and recovery without fear of being busted.

Fourth, you can manage and stabilize addicts so that while they may not give up their drugs, they can manage their addiction and become productive tax paying citizens instead of desperate criminals. This is what they've done with heroin addicts in Britain, and it has worked well. A heroin addict comes in on the train in the morning, stops by a medical clinic, gets their shot of heroin, and then goes to work. After work, he stops by the clinic, gets his shot and goes home. He holds down a job, contributes to society and manages his disease.

Fifth, you would actually lower the amount of drugs used. As it is now with drugs being illegal, there is an immense amount of glamor and appeal to do drugs, especially for young people who are all about the whole rebel image associated with drugs. Take away that rebel image, make them normalized like alcohol, and drug use goes down. We've seen that this is what happens in countries that do legalize drugs.

Sixth, you would open up an entirely new revenue stream by legalizing and taxing drugs like we do with alcohol. A revenue stream that is desperately needed right now in these tough economic times. Furthermore, you would provide good jobs for a lot of people, again, something that we need desperately.

We need to face the fact that mankind has an innate need to alter their state of consciousness, and will go to great lengths to do so. Prohibition didn't work with alcohol, and it isn't working with drugs.